Health Ministry launches innovative medicine packaging

Dubai, UAE: The UAE Ministry of Health has become the first health authority in the world to launch comprehensive innovative medicine packaging to empower the end user as part of the government’s Innovation Week celebration.

This move, launched in conjunction with Globalpharma, part of Sanofi Company, introduced four features — name and details of the medicine in Braille for the visually impaired; a medicine intake chart to simplify details of dosage and timings for the consumer; a QR code that can be scanned to provide details about the medicine; and 2-D data matrix technology that will help track the origin and expiry date of a medicine to combat the scourge of counterfeit drugs in the market.

All the information on the medicine pack is provided in English and Arabic to assist the multilingual community in the UAE.

Phase I implementation of the pack is under way for medication for non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

“The extra cost incurred in the innovative packaging will not be passed on to the consumer and I see it as a major move in the health-care sector that will enlighten and educate the consumer and help the government fight the illegal trade in counterfeit drugs,” said Dr Ameen Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of Public Health Policy and Licensing at the ministry, told Gulf News. He also added that the ministry had many other innovative changes on the anvil for the health-care sector which would be unveiled in 2016.

So far only 10 medicines by Globalpharma are included in this innovative packaging. “We intend to introduce all our medicines in this packaging and, although this recommendation by the government was not mandatory, we volunteered to initiate it in 2015 and hope to replace all our packaging within two to three years,” Patrick Aghanian, Head of Middle East Zone for Sanofi UAE, told Gulf News.

Nasir Mohammad Nourani, a visually impaired consumer present at the event, shared the challenges he faced in recognising his medicine packaging and told the audience how the new pack would change his life. “The new pack will help me manage my treatment regime with limited dependency on others. I am very glad that the concept is now locally available and positive that it will go a long way in meeting the unique health-care needs of people like me,”